


Like Thunder Under Earth

by untilthenlive



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: KuroFai, KuroFai Week, KuroFai Week 2020, M/M, battle husbands who defend small children together stay together, because i CANT write these two as OLD. it HURTS me, for a very very long indeterminate amount of time, its just magical vamire-bond multiverse shenanagins, listen dont think too hard about why kuro isn't aging, minor original character POV, so i came up with this instead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/untilthenlive/pseuds/untilthenlive
Summary: Written for Kurofai Week 2020, Day 1 - "Old".Kurogane and Fai are somewhat of an old, whispered legend in the area; having been around for decades and never aging, defending innocent people from those who would wish to harm them.Title taken from "NFWMB" by Hozier. It just fits the sort of Old Gods vibe I wanted them to exude.
Relationships: Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	Like Thunder Under Earth

She could see her shaky breath in the cold of the evening - like a dragon’s puffs of rage and anger - and she tried to muster the courage of such, when what she really felt like was a helpless little field mouse.

_ "Hide here until I get back,” _ her Mama had said frantically, the clash of swords heard in the not-too-far distance.  _ “Do not come out for anyone, you hear me?” _

She remembered Mama saying something to the neighbor a week before, about how “those thugs have been taking advantage of this village for too long,” and how it was only a matter of time before some poor fools tried to rise up against them and started an all-out rebellion.

Now, in her hiding spot in the bushes just outside their house, she guessed that was probably why she was here now.

She’d watched from the shadows as men fought in the streets - the mean guards who always glared at her and Mama when they went to the market, but also the nice man who sold them fish on sundays, and the one who always gave her an apple as they passed his house. She was too far hidden to really see what was going on, but she saw enough to know that if those mean guards found her, she’d be in trouble.

The fighting had started to quiet down somewhat, but she was still frozen to the spot she hid, terrified. Her small hands trembled as she sat, trying to stay quiet and hidden like her Mama told her.

Suddenly, from her left, she heard the sound of leaves rustling. She turned her head only to see a man with a spear in hand, searching around in the bushes. She recognized him immediately as one of the guards who always picked on and bullied the older boys she was friends with in town. She gasped, then clamped her hand to her mouth to stay quiet. It was too late, though, she realized as he turned toward her hiding spot and smiled an awful, wicked grin - he’d heard her.

“Hey, over here,” the man whispered to someone behind him, and -  _ oh no, _ there were  _ more _ of them?

She tucked into herself, hoping if she made herself as small as possible, they wouldn’t find her.

“Come on, little girl, we won’t hurtcha, promise...” he said, still searching, in a sickening tone that made her want to run away.

The man crept closer, closer,  _ closer, _ and _ \-  _

_ SHHNK. _

“Hey, creep. Pick on someone your own size.”

“Hey, stay outta this, or I’ll - ” The first man said, but when he turned his head to see the new arrival, his spear fell to the ground with a  _ clang _ , the man freezing in...  _ fear?  _ There was another man, now - taller and sturdier, and standing just nearby. He had raven-black hair, and his eyes were - almost  _ red.  _ He looked scary, holding out his freshly-drawn sword, threatening. The first man started to back away from him. “No, nono-”

But before either of them could do anything, a  _ third  _ man appeared, as if out of nowhere, and kicked the first man to the ground, taking him by surprise from behind. This man was thinner, lankier than the others and more nimble, and his hair was longer, and it was… _ light. _ She had never seen anything like it before.

The two men - the blonde and the black-haired one - quickly closed in on each other, back-to-back, as the first guard’s companions revealed themselves from their own hiding spots in the bushes. They began to circle in, surrounding the two mysterious men.  _ Oh no, _ she thought.  _ They’re done for! _

“Looks like we found the last of them, eh, Kuro-sama?” The blonde one said, grinning - a twinkle in his impossibly blue eyes, a teasing lilt to his voice.

The larger man chuckled, wearing a devilish grin of his own and tightening his grip on his sword. “Please, they weren’t even  _ trying _ to hide.” His voice was deeper, his taunt more menacing.

She watched as the men surrounding them moved closer. There had to be at least ten of them, if not more, and she was sure that her would-be saviors were going to be defeated just as quickly as they’d taken down the first man. One of the guards was inching ever closer at their side, right in their collective blindspot, and she wanted to shout out to warn them, to give them even the slightest chance of -

But suddenly, the two leapt apart from each other, and in the blink of an eye took two of the other guards down in one swing of a sword - at least, in the one man’s case. She didn’t quite see what the other man had attacked with, but she felt an odd, prickling sensation in the air as he stood upright, still grinning.

Then, the fight was on, and she watched in terror and awe as the two men fought off the attackers. As she watched, she realized they fought less like individuals and more like a single unit, moving in tandem and bouncing off each other, the sounds of clashing swords and...  _ something _ else coming together in what could only be described as a beautiful harmony. 

It was then, in the thick of their battle, that she remembered the tale she had heard in snippets a hundred times over. From her Mama gossiping with the neighbors, to the mean men in town who spoke it in hushed tones, to the shopkeepers swapping rumors and bickering over specific details. She  _ knew _ who these two were.

Well, she didn’t really, it seemed like no one did - but from what she could tell, they were something like guardian spirits of the forests and villages surrounding the lands of Suwa to the west. Well.. either that, or  _ vengeful _ spirits, depending on who was telling the tale. She’d heard both sides, and wasn’t sure which to believe - that they were protectors of the innocent, guardians of the region and keepers of peace… or vicious and vengeful attackers, sneaking up on the unsuspecting and robbing them of all their belongings, leaving them helpless in the streets or worse.

(She thought to herself, briefly, that it must be the former - considering their defense of her at the moment. She couldn’t be too cautious, though.)

She knew they were said to be very powerful, one never seen without the other; a menacing and terrifying force to any who crossed their path. They had appeared suddenly one day, and since then had been around for ages,  _ decades- _ never aging or changing appearance, but always appearing at just the right moment (or was it just the  _ wrong _ moment?).

The smaller, blonde one was said to be the more mysterious of the two - light on his feet and appearing as if a ghost, only the sound of a whistle (or… an odd mock of a whistle, according to some) serving as any warning to those he snuck up on. He threw attacks that no one ever actually saw connect, and used his voice as a weapon as well; cold and venomous and mocking to his enemies. Some people swore he was a magician, with the way he attacked - and that might explain the strange feeling that lingered in the air as he fought now. Others insisted his powers were something else, that he was a former priest who’d gone rogue and started attacking guards instead of protecting his temple or village or wherever he came from.

The red-eyed one was said to be less mystical, but just as menacing and powerful. His skill with a sword was unmatched, and his bark was just as bad as his bite, when he used it. Some said he resembled an old Lord of the Suwa province; some said he was his reincarnation, come back with the purpose of returning the peace and prosperity of his heyday. Others still insisted that he was neither, but a horrible spirit donning a gross imitation of a long-dead noble in order to strike fear into warriors’ hearts. Whoever, or  _ what _ ever, he was, he was a force to be reckoned with, and was said to never,  _ ever _ back down from a fight - especially when the blonde one was in trouble.

The two of them were a pair, a single unit, two souls (or spirits or whatever they were) acting as one. They balanced each other - where one might be lacking, the other greatly made up for, and they always fought back-to-back, side-to-side; together.

And they always disappeared shortly after, to keep watch over their forests, ready at a moment's notice to strike.

Seeing it up close, for real? It was… scary. And awe-inspiring. And  _ beautiful _ . At moments, it almost looked like they were dancing. They  _ must  _ be spirits, or gods. And they had come to answer her prayers.

Finally, they had dwindled the guards’ numbers down to just two, each of them fighting one of the guards. The swordsman’s opponent was holding his own surprisingly well, and as she watched, she was starting to get worried. The man with the blue eyes opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly, his opponent got the upper hand, knocked him away, and kicked him square in the face.The magician stumbled back and tripped, falling to the ground -

_ No - !! _

\- and as he fell, a mysterious band of lettering shot out of his hand and hit the swordsman right in the back, surrounding him and his sword with a mystical, protective glow.

“Hey!” The swordsman shouted, and the two guards left standing were both on him now. The swordsman turned his back, and she thought,  _ no, no don’t, they’re going to - _

\- And in a single swing, he cut them both down where they stood.

_ Yes! _

He breathed hard for a moment, looking around to be sure the last of the guards had really been defeated. When he seemed positive that he and his companion were victorious, he relaxed just a little, sheathing his sword, and stalked over to where the magician had fallen. He reached out a hand wordlessly and helped him to his feet.

The blonde one started to say thank you, but immediately, the larger man grabbed him by the chin and turned his face in hand, inspecting the spot he’d been kicked. The way he doted on him, so tenderly and carefully, was surprising in the wake of the vicious fighting he’d just done. The way he inspected the wound almost reminded her of when she’d fell and scraped her nose, and Mama had come running to help. (Well, almost - because as much as he seemed to care, he almost looked annoyed, and her Mama was  _ never _ annoyed at her when she got hurt.)

“Be more careful next time, idiot,” the man grumbled down at his shorter companion, who just laughed in response.

“I’m fine, Kuro-sama, really! You know I’ve had  _ much  _ worse.”

The black-haired man just narrowed his eyes and paused for a moment, the scowl on his face contradicting the way he gently wiped a bit of blood off the corner of the smaller man’s lip with his thumb. “Just… be careful,” he repeated.

“Why, so  _ you _ get to have all the cool battle scars?”

She couldn’t help but let out a giggle at that - and then a gasp, covering her mouth again and burrowing back into the shadows.

At this, they both turned their heads, and the blonde one smiled, kneeling down in her general direction.

“Hey, it’s safe to come out now,” he said, and his voice was patient and kind. Not at all like the venomous sting she’d been told of. Was she sure these were the same two she’d heard of? “Don’t worry, we’re not going to hurt you. Well,  _ I  _ won’t -” he added, a twinkle in his eye again, “- but this big guy might!”

“Hey!” The larger man whisper-shouted to his companion. “Don’t scare her off with your dumb jokes!”

The blonde one just laughed, and it sounded almost musical; high and bright and lovely. She felt lighter for hearing it. “We’re here to help. I promise.”

The taller one nudged the other in the rear with his foot.

“ _ Both _ of us,” the blonde added with a sideways glare to his companion, who looked satisfied.

She hesitated for a moment, still wary. She knew her mother told her to stay here, to not come out of hiding for anyone. But something about these two… the smaller man’s face was so kind, so inviting. He looked like someone she could believe, someone who could keep her safe and sound. Even the other one, the meaner-looking one - there was a certain warmth to him that contradicted the scowl on his face. He seemed like someone who could scare away all the bad men, and keep her just as safe as the first could.

Despite all the rumors… she felt like she could trust them.

Slowly, carefully, she stood, and with slightly shaking steps, emerged from her hiding place. The blonde smiled brighter, and just waited patiently for her to approach.

“Are...” she started, her voice timid, croaking from underuse in her fear. “Are you those two scary old gods everyone talks about?”

They both paused for a moment, an odd look on both their faces. They shared a wordless glance, and the blonde one looked amused for a moment when they looked back at her, making even these small movements in tandem with each other.

“Who you callin’ old?” The swordsman asked, breaking the silence.

The magician laughed again. “I’d like to think we’re not so  _ scary, _ either,” he added. “Well, maybe  _ he _ is - ”

The taller man growled, which garnered another laugh from the blonde.

At this, she let out a timid laugh. These two were kind of  _ funny, _ too. She liked them.

Carefully, she stepped closer toward them, and the blonde kindly held out a hand in invitation. At this, she finally closed the distance, placing her smaller hand in his and letting him gently grab onto it.

“Do you… do you know where my Mama is?” She asked, wanting desperately to find her again.

“I’m afraid not,” he said, giving her hand a sympathetic little squeeze. “But we can help you find her.”

She thought about this, biting her lip in concentration. She didn’t want to leave the place her mother knew her to be, but… these two really, really did look like they just wanted to help. She knew they would protect her if they needed to, just to get her back to Mama.

“...Okay,” she said.

At this, the blonde smiled kindly and gently picked her up.

He carried her through the town, his companion close behind. As they walked, they talked to her, and she didn’t notice that they were keeping her distracted, blocking most of her view of the streets - keeping her blind to the wreckage and aftermath of violent skirmishes strewn about everywhere.

Finally, they came across a man hiding behind a bench. After a brief introduction and a bit of trust-building, he revealed that he knew of a safehouse where villagers were being kept, and had been trying to make it there himself but was scared to go without protection. Now that he had some, he led the way, and soon enough they were walking through the doors of a small house tucked away in a corner of the town.

As they entered they found a surprisingly large number of people in such a small room. They all looked around, searching the small crowd for Mama.

Finally - there, in the corner of the room, was Mama, in tears. When their eyes met, Mama came running to greet her and her saviors and gathered her up in her arms, crying into her hair. She was so happy to see her Mama again, and she buried her face in her neck. Mama thanked the two men profusely, asking if there was anything she could do to repay them.

“Don’t worry about it,” the grumpy one said, sounding not-so-grumpy now. “We’re just glad she’s safe.”

She turned around in time to see the blonde one smiling fondly up at his companion, at that.

She wondered, then, why none of the rumors or tales she’d heard of these two had ever mentioned the fact that they were in love?

It would explain a lot, she thought.

Finally, the two said their goodbyes, and turned to leave. As they did, she waved goodbye to them, and they waved back, the blonde one smiling and waving at her the whole way out.

Then, just before they were out of sight, he whistled and waved his fingers, and she was amazed to see sparkles and bubbles appear out of thin air, directly from his hand. He smiled mischievously at her before disappearing, leaving a lingering wake of  _ magic _ . She gasped, and laughed.

“What is it, sweetie?” Mama asked.

She  _ had _ to tell Mama  _ everything. _

* * *

“Old gods, huh?” Fai asked, amused.

Kurogane chuckled where he walked beside him. “Well, we’ve been around long enough. Surprised we  _ haven’t _ heard that before, with how people weave tales around here.”

"She called us scary, too. Wonder where that part came from?” Fai teased, a finger to his chin. “I guess your big-scary-brute act still _ is _ good for something, after all.”

Fai just barely dodged the larger hand that came in to ruffle his hair -  _ barely.  _ He laughed, high and bright, and didn’t miss the amused grin on his partner’s face. This was a game they’d been playing for a long, long time now.

“And hey,” Kurogane added, an accusatory tone to his voice. “What was with that - ” he waved his hand around “ - magic back there? You’re only gonna feed those rumors at that rate.”

“Aww, come on, Kuro-grump. It made her laugh! The  _ least _ we could do after traumatizing her like that was give her a little something to wonder at.”

“ _ Who  _ traumatized her?” Kurogane scoffed, incredulously. “We  _ rescued _ her from those bastards.” His hands curled into fists at his sides. “Terrorizing a town like this, what a bunch of assholes.”

Fai hummed at that, then laughed again. “Well, let’s go find the rest of those  _ assholes _ and strike some more fear in some more hearts, then, hm?”

“Heh,” Kurogane chuckled, that grin back on his lips, his hand reaching down to hold the hilt of  _ Ginryuu _ in his grasp, looking sideways to share a mischievous glance with Fai, who returned his grin. “Now you’re talkin’.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know Fai said they found "the last of them" in the beginning of the fight and then again in the very end, but he was bluffing the first time to scare the dumb mean bad guys and make them think they had nowhere to run. It worked, they were very scared and they lost like little babies.


End file.
